• Club member Keith Blackwell delivered an engaging tutorial on architectural photography, with a primary focus on indoor shooting. He demonstrated how different lenses and focal lengths can dramatically change the look of a scene, and emphasized the importance of taking your time and carefully aligning vertical and horizontal lines for the best results. For outdoor photography, he highlighted the need to watch for and eliminate distracting background elements. Keith also brought several of his own cameras and lenses to show the tools he uses to achieve his images. The Club extends its thanks to Keith for an excellent and informative presentation.

For more on the subject, check out this YouTube video

• Jeff and Wendy reviewed the results of our November Photo Challenge that included several outstanding images. You can see the top scoring shots on our Club Photos page.

• Club member Jonathan Beavas was our featured photographer in this month’s What I Shoot presentation, where he shared his delightful collection of street scenes, night photography, sunrises and sunsets, night skies, and dramatic cloud formations. Well done, Jonathan — we thoroughly enjoyed your presentation!

• We viewed a collection of digital images that were brought in for our Show And Tell segment. As always, we saw some excellent photos and we encourage more members to show us some of their favourite work. Size your images to no more than 2100 px wide and 1575 px tall and put them on a flash drive. We’ll take care of the rest.

• Mike Blazek and Keith Blackwell reviewed some of the images from this month’s print display. Your next opportunity to show us some of your printed work will be at our January 27^th meeting.

• Our next get together will be at Grace Church on December 9^th at 7 PM when we will celebrate the Chatham Camera Club’s 90^th anniversary. The meeting will feature a lesson on how different camera lenses will affect your portraits.

“Photograph the world as it is. Nothing is more interesting than reality.” – Mary Ellen Mark

The Chatham Camera Club hosted our second workshop of the season, with Mike and Keith demonstrating studio strobe set-ups and Jim teaching us about on-camera flash. During these demonstrations we learned about some of the technical aspects of both of these topics as well as receiving hands-on instruction. More of this kind of event will take place later this season. Photos from the evening can be seen on our Club Photos page. For a different perspective on flash photography, check out the YouTube videos below.

Our next meeting will be a live event at Grace Church on November 25^th at 7 PM when club member Keith Blackwell will present a tutorial on how to photograph architecture. Dave Noordhoff will discuss using Topaz software and Photo AI. The results from our November Photo Challenge will be shown, along with our monthly Print Night. If you have a print of any size, any subject that you’d like to share, please bring it in.
 

“One doesn’t stop seeing. One doesn’t stop framing. It doesn’t turn off and on. It’s on all the time.” – Annie Leibovitz

Jim Pollock started our meeting off by showing us a slideshow about “Why Enter The Photo Challenges”, where he explained that the reason we have the challenges is to get us shooting out of our comfort zone and photograph subjects that we wouldn’t normally shoot. The camera we own is not a factor in the quality of pictures we can produce and the scores are merely someone else’s opinion. We hope that our members will consider submitting some of their favourite shots this year.

Dave Noordhoff showed us YouTube videos that explained how to make better sky selections, straighten lines and resize adjustment brushes.

Better Sky Selections

How to straighten buildings in Photoshop and Lightroom

David Barr spoke about the late Ric McArthur. Ric was a long time member of the Chatham Camera Club and an enthusiastic nature photographer who lived in Rondeau Park. We viewed a series of some of Ric’s best work that he put together in a slideshow just weeks before he passed away. His talent and patience shone through in a collection of pictures featuring birds, bugs, snakes, turtles and insects. It was a fitting tribute to our dear friend.

We reviewed the entries from our October Photo Challenge: Nature.

The top scoring shots can be seen on our Club Photos page.
Congratulations to Linda Pepper, who scored a 28.5, the highest score in recent memory.

Mike Blazek and Dave Noordhoff discussed several of the prints that were brought in. Your next opportunity to display some of your printed work will be at our November 25^th meeting.

Our next meeting will be at Grace Church on November 11^th at 7 PM when club members Keith Blackwell, Mike Blazek and Jim Pollock will lead us through a flash workshop. Both studio strobes and on-camera flash will be discussed and demonstrated. Bring you camera to the meeting.

“In the end, photography is just an excuse to get to know the world.” – Graciela Iturbide

• The Chatham Camera Club held an engaging and educational workshop focused on macro and refraction photography. The session explored creative techniques for capturing close-up images that reveal fine detail and the fascinating effects of light passing through glass, water droplets, and other transparent materials. The evening began with Dave Noordhoff giving us a brief overview of the different photo-ops that were set up around the room and tips on how to shoot them. Members learned about optimal lighting setups, depth of field management, and the importance of using tripods for precision focusing. The second portion of the workshop highlighted refraction photography and learning how to create striking images using water droplets or glass spheres to refract and distort subjects in artistic ways. Participants had the opportunity to experiment hands-on with setups provided by the club, using flowers, printed patterns, and colored backgrounds as subjects. Throughout the session, members shared tips, compared results, and discussed post-processing techniques. Thanks to all who participated.

You can see some of the highlights of the evening on our Club Photos page.

• Before the meeting, The Club received the news that longtime member Ric McArthur had passed away at the age of 78.
  
  Ric had been an active member and audited our financial records for many years. He was a passionate bird photographer whose lens captured the beauty and freedom of the natural world. With patience and a keen eye, Ric spent countless hours in his bird blind at his home in Rondeau Park, producing stunning images that highlighted the unique magic of dozens of species. He will be fondly remembered by his family, friends, and all who were touched by his artistry and love for nature.

• Our next gathering will be a live meeting at Grace Church on October 28^th at 7 PM when club member Dave Noordhoff will discuss editing photos. Jim Pollock will present a slideshow about the benefits of entering our photo challenges. The results from our October Photo Challenge will be shown, along with our monthly Print Night. If you can, please bring in a print of any size, any subject for display and discussion.

“Always shoot it now. It won’t be the same when you go back.” – Jay Maisel

• To kick off the Chatham Camera Club’s 90th season, President Mary Craig welcomed twenty-nine members and three guests. The event marked our initial gathering at our new meeting place, Grace Christian Reformed Church.

• Vice-President Dave Noordhoff discussed some minor changes to the CCC constitution. The amendments were approved by a show of hands.

• We watched a YouTube video of Club Secretary Julie Faas, who went over The Club’s finances. All is well.

• Jeff and Wendy McDonald reminded us of this season’s photo challenges.

~ October – Nature (to be submitted by October 18^th)
~ November – Humans (to be submitted by November 15^th)
~ January – Different Point Of View (to be submitted by January 17^th)
~ February – Architecture (to submitted by February 14^th)
~ March – Refraction (to be submitted by March 14^th)
~ April – Story Telling (to be submitted by April 18^th)

E-mail reminders will be sent out in advance of the due dates

• In preparation for our Refraction Workshop on October 14^th, we watched a B+H YouTube video on how to achieve the technique.

• Mike and Keith discussed some of the prints that were brought in for display, with many of them receiving high praise. Our next print display will be held on October 28^th. If you have a printed photograph that you’d like to share, any size, any subject, please bring it in. We’d love to see it.

• Our next meeting will be a workshop on Refraction on October 14^th.
Bring Your Camera!

“Unless you photograph what you love, you are not going to make good art.” – Sally Mann

For the 2025 / 2026 season, The Chatham Camera Club will meet at Grace Christian Reformed Church, 255 Tweedsmuir Ave. West, Chatham on Tuesday nights. Our new space is bigger, brighter and will serve our needs much better than in days gone by. The Club Executives are currently working on the meeting schedule, lining up guest speakers and planning new workshops. If you have any suggestions or concerns, please contact us at ChathamCameraClub@hotmail.com

Our final meeting of the 2024 / 2025 season featured Richard Beland, who spoke to The Club about Lambton College’s photography program. Instruction for this two year course includes technical, creative and business classes. For more information on how to sign up for this course, contact Richard at richard.belland@lambtoncollege.ca

There was no formal election this year as our vacant positions were filled by volunteers.
Club President – Mary Craig
Vice President – Dave Noordhoff
Secretary – Barb Ferren
Treasurer – Julie Faas

Results from our April Photo Challenge can be seen in the YouTube video below.

The Chatham Camera Club executives announced a change of venue for next season. We will hold our 2025 / 2026 meetings at Grace Christian Reformed Church, located at 255 Tweedsmuir Ave W, Chatham.

This move will allow us to return to our traditional meeting time of Tuesday evenings. The Club has thanked the staff of Evangel Church for their hospitality for the last dozen years, as well as former Club member Dennis Myers for securing that venue for our meetings. 

Winners of this season’s Photo Challenge by division are:

Novice
(Placement not awarded due to lack of participation)
Honorable Mentions – Marielaine Douglas (2), 

Intermediate
– 1st Place – Dave Richards (six Honorable Mentions)
– 2nd Place – Kim Charron (four Honorable Mentions)
– 3rd Place tie – Janice Mayuk (one Honorable Mention)
– 3rd Place tie -Stacy Arnold (three Honorable Mentions)
– Honorable Mentions – Janet Fraser, Rochella Mulhern

Advanced
– 1st Place – Jeff McDonald (two Honorable Mentions)
– 2nd Place – Wendy McDonald (two Honorable Mentions)
– 3rd Place – Gavin Stuart
– Honorable Mentions – Barb Ferren (1), Penny Rintoul (2)

Salon
– 1st Place – Linda Pepper (three Honorable Mentions)
– 2nd Place – Jim Pollock (two Honorable Mentions)
– 3rd Place – Tere Deslippe (two Honorable Mentions)
– Honorable Mentions – Mary Craig

The Best Photo Of The Year was submitted by Linda Pepper

Thanks to all who participated in the photo competitions this year. We hope it was a valuable learning experience and one which helped you grow as a photographer.

Pictures of the Awards Presentations are available on our Club Photos page
or see the winning entries in the YouTube video below.

• Mike Blazek started the evening off by showing his slideshow of What I Shoot. As a multi-talented photographer, Mike included all of the genres that he excels in, including Abstracts, Birds, Street Photography, Studio Portraits, Nature, Transportation and Travel. At the conclusion of the presentation, it was easy to see why Mike is one of the most respected and admired shooters in the Chatham Camera Club. Thanks Mike! We thoroughly enjoyed your show.

• Entries from our April Photo Challenge were held back until our final meeting of the season.

• Club President Cindy Taleski showed a presentation on How To Use A.I in Lightroom and Photoshop. During the clip we learned how to use Adobe’s artificial intelligence feature to delete distractions, add elements and colourize photos. Thanks Cindy. We all learned some valuable info about post-processing

To learn how to use A.I. see the YouTube video below.

• Mike and Keith reviewed several of the prints that were brought in for display. Thanks to all who participated. We’ll enjoy this feature again next season.

• Our next get-together will be a live meeting on May 8^th at 7 PM at Evangel Church when Richard Beland will give a short presentation on Lambton College’s Photography Program. We will also hold nominations and elections for next season’s Club Executives. Please try to attend this meeting. It is one that will determine the future of our club as we head into our 90th year.

“What use is having great depth of field, if there is not adequet depth of feeling?” – W. Eugene Smith